Apple AirPods Firmware

[mikzn]

wow - what a ridiculous way to check the AirPod firmware - how is the average user supposed to know or find out? It's like a secret combination for the select few - open the AirPod case while watching your iPhone for that appearing and disappearing info in the "About Info"

Soon you will have to invoke a special incantation to Siri to cast an upgrade spell on your Airpods

Apple truly does not want any user input and this seems to be the way things are headed with more and more of their software and hardware

Anyway it's not like you have a choice - they are going to update your AirPods with or without your consent.

 

[dan9700]

if they have been improved a lot with firmware what's the point of AirPods 2?

 

[C DM]

wow - what a ridiculous way to check the AirPod firmware - how is the average user supposed to know or find out? It's like a secret combination for the select few - open the AirPod case while watching your iPhone for that appearing and disappearing info in the "About Info"

Apple truly does not want any user input and this seems to be the way things are headed with more and more of their software and hardware

Anyway it's not like you have a choice - they are going to update your AirPods with or without your consent.

They aren't -- the firmware would be updated automatically on its own without the average end user even knowing (or even knowing that there's such a thing as firmware for AirPods).
[doublepost=1553640557][/doublepost]

if they have been improved a lot with firmware what's the point of AirPods 2?

"Hey Siri" support, longer battery life, even better connectivity?

 

[christarp]

Pretty sure the firmware update is merely to make the AirPods communicate the different versions to the case, so the new mismatched AirPods screen can properly show what's up.

 

[mikzn]

They aren't -- the firmware would be updated automatically on its own without the average end user even knowing (or even knowing that there's such a thing as firmware for AirPods).

that's not good, apple talks about security and then has a back door into your hardware so they can do what ever they want?

 

[C DM]

that's not good, apple talks about security and then has a back door into your hardware so they can do what ever they want?

It's not really a backdoor, it's just basically regular functionality these days that most companies have in relation to their products being able to check for and receive updates.

 

[mikzn]

well if it quacks like a duck . . .

 

[erasr]

The switching connectivity isn't dramatically faster with the 1st gen on the latest firmware, if at all. The second gen is definitely faster. The second gen are louder and sound better.

I think most 1st gen owners will be upgrading for a new healthy battery more than anything though.

Yeah let’s just make upgrading £160 headphones every year or two the norm, hey.

Are you mad? No normal person is going to want to start upgrading AirPods, iPhone, Mac, Watch etc every two years. You’re already seeing the decline in revenue for Apple by them attempting this strategy. It will work with the hardcore but there’s no way I’m getting sucked into the mentality of upgrading every time a newer version comes out.

 

[ChiTim]

Connect AirPods to iPhone running on iOS 12.2 by opening them within proximity. The notification which pops up for battery life remaining is usually an indicator. The firmware update check is automatically performed through iOS. You can't manually check. If you still don't receive it, then attempt to remove your AirPods, reset them with the pairing button, and reconnect.

I had to go to Bluetooth and choose "Forget this device" as well. After reconnecting the Airpod 1st Gens, the firmware updated so fast it was done before I could even get back to "General - About" and look. Now at v6.3.2.

 

[fromgophonetoiphone]

Yeah let’s just make upgrading £160 headphones every year or two the norm, hey.

Are you mad? No normal person is going to want to start upgrading AirPods, iPhone, Mac, Watch etc every two years. You’re already seeing the decline in revenue for Apple by them attempting this strategy. It will work with the hardcore but there’s no way I’m getting sucked into the mentality of upgrading every time a newer version comes out.

People don't want to upgrade devices every 2 years because it costs a lot, but part of why people stopped doing so with phones is because the technology is already good enough. When you rewind to early iPhones, every version upgrade made a huge difference. The same goes with the PC market in the 90s. There's a reason people just buy devices and let them be for years.

Look at Macs and iPads. Those are devices that easily last 3-5 years if not more. The issue with Airpods seems to mostly be with their battery because they undergo so much charging/discharging on a regular basis.

 

[gwhizkids]

I’m no audiophile but the sound following the upgrade seems clearer, louder and with more defined bass.

Watch: it’ll be a placebo.

 

[mrt.plt]

I just checked the firmware of my AirPods and they seem to have updated automatically.

 

[dumastudetto]

Yeah let’s just make upgrading £160 headphones every year or two the norm, hey.

Are you mad? No normal person is going to want to start upgrading AirPods, iPhone, Mac, Watch etc every two years. You’re already seeing the decline in revenue for Apple by them attempting this strategy. It will work with the hardcore but there’s no way I’m getting sucked into the mentality of upgrading every time a newer version comes out.

If it’s a product you use every day for hours on end, then it’s easily justifiable to replace them every 18-24 months. You’re looking at something like $10 a month.

Heavy use effectively wears the batteries out, and that’s a limitation of current battery technology, but I think that heavy use demonstrates it’s a phenomenal product.

 

[charlesdayton]

wow - what a ridiculous way to check the AirPod firmware - how is the average user supposed to know or find out? It's like a secret combination for the select few - open the AirPod case while watching your iPhone for that appearing and disappearing info in the "About Info"

Soon you will have to invoke a special incantation to Siri to cast an upgrade spell on your Airpods

Apple truly does not want any user input and this seems to be the way things are headed with more and more of their software and hardware

Anyway it's not like you have a choice - they are going to update your AirPods with or without your consent.

Average users don't even know or care that earphones have a firmware.

 

[Jacoblee23]

I’ve tried everything and I still can’t get the new firmware to show up for me.

 

[I7guy]

I didn’t even know there was a firmware upgrade until I saw this thread. By the time I checked my AirPods were updated to 6.3.5. Nicely done Apple.

 

[0s and 1s]

Just to confirm - this firmware update only applies to Gen 1 AirPods?

My Gen 2 AirPods are Model A2031, Firmware 1A671, Hardware 1.0.0 for sake of reference.

 

[AngstyKylo]

If it’s a product you use every day for hours on end, then it’s easily justifiable to replace them every 18-24 months. You’re looking at something like $10 a month.

Heavy use effectively wears the batteries out, and that’s a limitation of current battery technology, but I think that heavy use demonstrates it’s a phenomenal product.

Even my high-end wired headphones would have some cable wear and tear after that amount of use. Repairs might not cost $100 but I guess that's the price for wireless headphones.

 

[chillip]

Mine sound louder after the firmware update. Waiting on my gen 2 delivery but might just return.

 

[QquegChristian]

The sound signature of gen1 has absolutely been tuned. For better and worse. They sound louder and clearer because mids were slightly scooped out. It’s a more commercial sound but not entirely ideal because the lows are pretty weak and sound isolation has always been almost non-existent.

Some things are going to sound markedly better, others markedly worse, others pretty much the same. Will depend on mastering. Ear fatigue will be worse because of the clearer high end.

Honestly, I’m not too happy that this was even an option. I preferred my AirPods yesterday. It’s just bonkers to me that we’re now at a point where products we buy for not a small sum of money can fundamentally change against our will. There’s no rolling back. There’s no opting out of the update.

I listen to a lot of Howard Stern on Sirius. His voice now sounds sharp, not rich. This is the loudness people are hearing. It’s easier to understand what he is saying at a lower volume because it is sharp, but it isn’t pleasant to listen to for long periods. It’s also only the illusion of loudness, as it is crisper / harsher requiring less volume to hear, but with less fullness it is allowing even more outside noise to creep in.

I now own headphones that can be simultaneously too loud, yet too soft to hear over my AC unit (15 feet away) when I’m on my porch.

 

[johannnn]

Mine are already at the latest firmware when I just checked. So I guess they were silently updated yesterday or today without me even noticing.

Haven’t tried switching device yet (although the improvement, if it exists, can’t be much since it’s still the same chip inside), but from some brief music listening they sound the same. But I’m no audiophile.

 

[KennethS]

Just to confirm - this firmware update only applies to Gen 1 AirPods?

My Gen 2 AirPods are Model A2031, Firmware 1A671, Hardware 1.0.0 for sake of reference.

I have been trying to confirm this as well. Small comfort perhaps, but mine are showing the same as yours.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

The sound signature of gen1 has absolutely been tuned. For better and worse. They sound louder and clearer because mids were slightly scooped out. It’s a more commercial sound but not entirely ideal because the lows are pretty weak and sound isolation has always been almost non-existent.

Some things are going to sound markedly better, others markedly worse, others pretty much the same. Will depend on mastering. Ear fatigue will be worse because of the clearer high end.

Honestly, I’m not too happy that this was even an option. I preferred my AirPods yesterday. It’s just bonkers to me that we’re now at a point where products we buy for not a small sum of money can fundamentally change against our will. There’s no rolling back. There’s no opting out of the update.

I listen to a lot of Howard Stern on Sirius. His voice now sounds sharp, not rich. This is the loudness people are hearing. It’s easier to understand what he is saying at a lower volume because it is sharp, but it isn’t pleasant to listen to for long periods. It’s also only the illusion of loudness, as it is crisper / harsher requiring less volume to hear, but with less fullness it is allowing even more outside noise to creep in.

I now own headphones that can be simultaneously too loud, yet too soft to hear over my AC unit (15 feet away) when I’m on my porch.

That sucks - I'm on 12.1.4 and like my AirPods the way they are now. Not looking forward to them changing when I go to 12.2

 

[Ralfi]

I think the Airpods are connecting quicker, post firmware update?

The sound signature of gen1 has absolutely been tuned. For better and worse. They sound louder and clearer because mids were slightly scooped out. It’s a more commercial sound but not entirely ideal because the lows are pretty weak and sound isolation has always been almost non-existent.

Some things are going to sound markedly better, others markedly worse, others pretty much the same. Will depend on mastering. Ear fatigue will be worse because of the clearer high end.

Honestly, I’m not too happy that this was even an option. I preferred my AirPods yesterday. It’s just bonkers to me that we’re now at a point where products we buy for not a small sum of money can fundamentally change against our will. There’s no rolling back. There’s no opting out of the update.

I listen to a lot of Howard Stern on Sirius. His voice now sounds sharp, not rich. This is the loudness people are hearing. It’s easier to understand what he is saying at a lower volume because it is sharp, but it isn’t pleasant to listen to for long periods. It’s also only the illusion of loudness, as it is crisper / harsher requiring less volume to hear, but with less fullness it is allowing even more outside noise to creep in.

I now own headphones that can be simultaneously too loud, yet too soft to hear over my AC unit (15 feet away) when I’m on my porch.

Interesting.

I guess the equaliser may need to come into play for users like yourself. Haven’t used it myself, so aren’t sure if there’s much you can tweak, other than selecting from a list of pre-sets?

 

[Gaspard]

I think it need connect to WiFi and put in charging case